The Kiwis named their 15-player squad for the ninth edition of the 20-over showcase on Monday, with the Black Caps opting for an experienced squad that includes Williamson and fast bowling duo Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
Despite the Emirates Cricket Board's 'two-week rest' policy for pitches, the tight schedule necessitated the use of this 'tired surface'.
A week ago, Matt Henry was like nearly every other New Zealander, watching the World Cup on television and hoping the Black Caps would go all the way and win the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah has viral; Mitchell Santner has a side strain.
Mohammed Siraj's superb match-winning effort on the final day of the Test series against England that helped win The Oval Test match by six runs helped him clinch the award.
Ferguson walked off the game against Australia last Saturday after experiencing a niggle
Kane Williamson scored a magisterial 156 at his most productive venue to drive New Zealand to the brink of a consolation victory over England at the end of the third day of the third Test.
Ferguson believes New Zealand bowling attack remain a 'handsome bunch' despite losing fast bowler Matt Henry and have all bases covered.
Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin chipped away at the wickets to leave New Zealand reeling on 171/9 in their second innings at stumps on Day 2.
Woeful India dismissed for 46 as New Zealand pacers run riot
New Zealand booked their place in the final of the Champions Trophy against India after a 50-run victory over South Africa.
In the bowling rankings, Keshav Maharaj and Matt Henry have broken into the top five
'They haven't done a lot wrong. That's without some of their stars actually performing in that final.'
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Santner acknowledged India's superior game plan and their ability to dictate terms in the middle phase.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Kyle Jamieson also returns to the squad after back surgery in February in a pace attack which includes captain Tim Southee and Matt Henry, who has recovered from injury.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
England finally faced some resistance from New Zealand in the shape of Tom Blundell's defiant century but dismissed the Black Caps for 259 to wrap up a thumping 323-run victory on the third day of the second Test on Sunday.
Latham also reminded his team not to lose focus on the second Test amid the revelries after winning the first match, as India has the firepower in its ranks to hit back.
Rishabh Pant on Wednesday overtook his superstar India teammate Virat Kohli to reach the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters.
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
New Zealand seamer Jacob Duffy was adjudged player of the series for his eight wickets.
Under Rohit Sharma, India won the 2018 and 2023 ODI Asia Cup, runners-up position in the 2023 World Cup at home and triumphed in the the ICC Champions Trophy in March.
Veteran Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor on Thursday created history by making a resolute return to international cricket after a hiatus of of three-and-a-half years.
New Zealand beat a vastly different South Africa team by six wickets in Lahore three weeks ago, two days after beating Pakistan at the same venue.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy justified his selection with a five-wicket haul and bowled India to a 44-run victory against New Zealand.
'We cannot say suddenly that Crawley and Pope have solved the technical and mental issues that have dogged their careers because the Zimbabwe bowling was so average.'
Matheesha Pathirana stood out with his searing pace in a match dominated by the batters.
Afghanistan stunned New Zealand by a whopping 84 runs in the T20 World Cup match on Saturday.
Spinner Maheesh Theekshana's hat-trick was in vain as New Zealand clinched the three-match One-Day International series against Sri Lanka with a game to spare after a 113-run victory in a rain-shortened second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged the challenge posed by India's understanding of the conditions in the Champions Trophy final, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to adapt. Santner believes the experience of playing against India in a league match will help, and is hoping his batters will be better prepared to face mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy this time around.
'We'll be putting our thinking caps on how to nullify that threat while still scoring runs against him.'
After his fifty, social media was abuzz that this could be Rohit's final appearance in an ODI.
That said the pitch is going to get challenging for the batters as the game wears on.
Wriddhiman Saha will retire from cricket at the end of this year's Ranji Trophy.
New Zealand went down to India by four wickets in the title-decider in Dubai on Sunday, suffering a fourth loss in four short-format global finals over the last decade.
Kane Williamson is too long in the tooth to get dragged into the debate over India getting to play the Champions Trophy final in Dubai.
Matt Henry shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on selection for next month's World Twenty20 with a hostile spell of pace bowling that helped New Zealand ease to a 159-run win over Australia in the first one-day international on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli anchored another tricky chase with perfection after Mohammad Shami's sizzling five-wicket haul as India outclassed New Zealand by four wickets.
